Elderly people who live with a dog or a cat would have less risk of suffering from an alteration of one or more cognitive functions.
- Pets improve the well-being and reduce the stress of their owners.
- Having a dog or a cat would also be beneficial for the brains of seniors.
Visiting pets is one of the activities offered in some retirement homes. And for good reason: their company would help prevent cognitive decline in seniors. This is the hypothesis put forward by researchers in a preliminary study presented during the 74th Congress of the American Academy of Neurology but which has not yet been published. According to the authors, owners of dogs and/or cats are less exposed to cognitive decline.
To achieve this result, the scientists passed cognitive tests for six years to 1,369 retired people whose average age was 65 years. Among them, 53% had a pet, that is to say a dog or a cat. 32% had lived with their four-legged friend for more than five years. Then, the scientists established a cognitive score ranging from 0 to 27. The latter aimed to assess the cognitive functions (memory, reasoning, language, decision-making, etc.) of seniors.
People with pets suffer less cognitive decline
According to the researchers’ observations, the older the individuals, the lower their cognitive score. But, they noticed that the 32% of people who had lived with a pet for more than five years scored higher than those who didn’t. In detail, the difference was 1.2 points. The authors thus estimated that the company of domestic animals contributed to reducing chronic stress and isolation, two factors implicated in cognitive decline. On the other hand, for those who have a dog, it must be taken out several times a day. Thus, without realizing it, the owners do more daily physical activity than if they did not have this animal. And, it is proven that the sport, even light, preserves the brain.
Further research to better understand the benefits of animals
“As stress can negatively affect cognitive functions, the anti-stress effect of owning a pet could provide a plausible reason for our observations. A pet also increases physical activity, which could be beneficial for cognitive health. That being said, further research is needed to confirm our findings and identify the mechanisms underlying this association.” said Tiffany Bradley, a physician at University Hospital of Michigan and the study’s first author.